Three West Indies players opt out of tour to England amid coronavirus fears

Three West Indies players have decided against travelling to the UK for next month’s Test series against England because of coronavirus fears.

Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo asked not to be included in the 25-man travelling party, made up of a 14-man squad and 11 reserve players.

The series, which was due to start tomorrow, has been delayed until next month because of the pandemic, with the first Test due to begin at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl on July 8. The following two matches will be played at Old Trafford, with the grounds selected as ‘bio-secure venues’ because they have hotels on site.

The Windies are scheduled to arrive in the UK on June 9, and will initially be based at Old Trafford for a period of quarantine and training.

The absence of Hetmyer, who scored 81 in West Indies’ victory over England in Bridgetown last year, is a significant blow, with the 23-year-old rated as one of the world’s most exciting young batsmen, albeit having mainly shown his talent in limited overs formats so far.

Bravo is one of the Windies’ most experienced players while Paul also featured in the same series against England in the Caribbean, though neither would have been a certain pick.

West Indies Test squad

J. Holder (C), J. Blackwood, N. Bonner, K. Brathwaite, S. Brooks, J. Campbell, R. Chase, R. Cornwall, S. Dowrich, C. Holder, S. Hope, A. Joseph, R. Reifer, K. Roach

Reserves

S. Ambris, J. Da Silva, S. Gabriel, K. Harding, K. Mayers, P. McSween, M. Mindley, S. Moseley, A. Phillip, O. Thomas, J. Warrican